Railway track construction



`une 14, 1932. J, A. MCGREW 1,863,248

RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l :Q l- 22 vr// /7 l rr l ,f7

June E4, 1932. J. A. MCGREW 1,863,248

RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented`lune 14, 1932 PATENT oEFlcE JOHN A. MCGREW, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK RAILWAYTRACK CONSTRUCTION application mea January 17, 1931, serial 1ro.509,495.

This invention relates to railway track constructions and moreparticularly to devices by means of which the rails are secured oranchored to the cross ties.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel andimproved tie plate and rail fastener by means of which there is produceda stronger, safer, and more easily and economically maintained trackstructure than those in general use at the present time. The inventioncontemplates the provision of a novel type of rail securing meanswhereby practically unrestrained wave motion in the rail is permittedwithout transmitting this motion to the tie plates or ties. The load onthe tie plate is distributed uniformly at all times and thus thetendency of the spikes or lag screws to pull out is lessened, and thewearing or cutting of the ties, caused in the ordinary constructions bythe rocking or shifting of the tie plates, is prevented. The life of theties is furthermore considerably increased, where wooden ties areutilized, by obviating the necessity for frequent re-spiking.

One feature of the invention, whereby these and other advantages arerealized, is the provision, in a rail securing device of this type, of alongitudinally cambered rail seat affording substantially a line contactwith the underside of the base flanges of the rail and of resilientclips or fastening elements which are adapted to bear upon the uppersurfaces of the rail base flanges above this line of contact.

Other features of the invention by which increased strength and safetyin the track construction are attained are the provision ot two railshoulders upon the tie plate, the lagging of the plate to the tie, andthe use of spring fasteners which exert a holding force in excess ofthat afforded by the cut-spikes used in ordinary constructions.

From the standpoint of economy in track construction and maintenance. itmay also be pointed out that the fastener provided by the presentinvention will prevent the rail from creeping and thus preclude thenecessity of the provision of rail anchors or anti- Creepers. AThisconstruction also permits the renewal of rails more speedily than wherecut-spike securing means are employed.

Another important feature of the invention is the provision of a tieplate of the type used in connection with the spring clip fastenersabove described, in which means are provided whereby the ordinarycut-spikes usually employed for securing the rail and tie plate to thetie may be used instead of spring clips whenever necessary or desirable.Thus, in the event of breakage of a spring clip, a spike may be used asa temporary securing means. Other objects and features of novelty willbe apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of thefollowing speciiication 55 in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which certain embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way ofexample.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a section of track to whichthere is applied the tie plate and rail fastener constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view in transverse cross section taken on line 2-2 ofFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the improved tie plate and rail fastener withthe rail removed therefrom;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken on line 4 4 ofFigure 3 with the rail installed;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view similar to Figure 2,showing a modified form of rail fastener; and

Figure 7 is a transverse sectional view similar to Figure 2 showing analternative form of fastening means in which ordinary cut-spikes areused.

In Figure 1 of the drawings, in which a section of track to which theimproved rail fastening means have been applied is shown, the rail isdesignated by the numeral 10 and is provided with the usual head 11, web12 and base anges 13. The numeral 14 denotes the usual wooden cross tiesas in the ordinary type of track construction. The rail l() is supportedupon and secured to the ties 14 by means of the tie-plates 15 and theirassociated fastening elements which will now be described.

f to bear.

The tie plates 15 are preferably rectangular in plan and are secured tothe ties by means of the lag screws 17 which are adapted to pass throughthe perforations 18 provided in the tie plate at points spacedforwardly'and rearwardly of the transverse median ine of the tie plate.The upper surface of the tie plate 15 is provided with a pair of ribs orshoulders 2O which define a centrally disposed rail seat 21. If desiredthe surface of the rail seat 21 may be canted or sloped laterally asshown in Figures 2, 6, and 7. The rail seat 21 is cambered longitudiallyas shown (exaggerated somewhat) in Figure 4, providing sloping surfacesextending in both directions from the transverse ridge or peak 22, theridge 22 providing substantially a line contact between the underside ofthe rail base flanges 13 and the rail seat.

In order to secure the rail 10 within the seat 21 the spring clips orlevers 25 are provided, the inner `ends 26 of which are ada ted to bearupon the upper surfaces of tlhe ase flanges 13 and the opposite ends ofwhich are formed with the tongues 27 and the lateral shoulders 28 whichare adapted to engage the tie plate. An intermediate portion of the.clip is perforated as at 29 for the reception of the bolt 30 the head31 of which is adapted to interlock with a portion of the tie plate.Each of the spring clips 25 is caused to bear heavily upon the rail baseby turning the associated nut 32 upon the threaded shank of its bolt. Inthe embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings, the spring clips25 are illustrated as provided with the pronounced intermediate bend 34-while a. modied form of clip which comprises merely an L-shaped lever ofspring steel is shown at 25 in Figure 6. It will be seen that thesefastening devices are applied to the tie plates upon each side of therail with their rail engaging ends 26 directly above the line of contact22 of the rail base with the rail seat.

Each tie plate is provided with a generally T-shaped slot 35 upon eachside of the rail base which may be considered as comprising threedistinct portions. The head of the T is formed by a relatively wide slotportion 36 into which the tongue 27 of the spring clip 25 is adapted toproject and upon the margins of which the shoulders 28 are adapted Thesecond portion of the slot 35 is designated 37 and is shown inlongitudinal cross section in Figure 5 of the drawings. From this figureit will be seen that the lower half of this portion of the slot isprovided with upwardly converging walls 38 and the upper half of theslot is bounded by the vertical walls 39. The bolt head 31 is bevelled,as clearly shown in Figure 5, so as to interlock with the tie plate whenit is disposed within the correspondingly bevelled slot portion 37. Itwill be readily understood .that in applying the bolt the head 31 isfirst inserted in the wider portion 36 of the slot 35 and then passedlaterally into the slotportion 37. lThe third portion of the slot 35,designated 40, is provided with straight walls and is of the same widthas the upper portion of the slot 37. The purpose of this slot extension40 will be later explained.

As stated heretofore, the two securing elements 25 of each pair aredisposed, substantially in a transverse vertical plane which includesthe line of contact 22. These elements are resilient, being preferablyformed of spring steel, and a few turns of the nut 32 upon the holt 30will cause the clip 25 to exert a pressure upon the rail base of severalthousand pounds. Because of this construction, the wave motion of therail which results from the passing of a train does not cause unequalloadings of the tie plates and injury to the ties. It will be understoodthat the entire weight of that portion of the rail which is supported bythe tie plate 1s received upon the ridge or peak 22 of the rail seat 2land is thus uniformly distributed throughout the area of the tie plate.The lag screws 17 are, therefore, subjected to no unequal strains andthere isno tendency for these securing elements to be pulled out due totilting or shifting of the tie plates. The device which has just beendescribed holds the rail so firmly in place that the use of rail anchorsor anti- Creepers is unnecessary. At the same time the requisiteexibility in the track construction is realized.

ln the event of accidental breakage of the spring fasteners of thepreferred construction, as in the case of a derailment or other mishap,cut-spikes 41 of ordinary construction may be employed to secure therails, as illustrated in `Figure 7 of the drawings. These spikes areadapted to be inserted in the slot portions 40 of the tie plate anddriven into a tie upon each side of the rail base 13 so that the heads42 of the spikes bear as at 43 upon the upper surfaces of the baseflanges 13 directly above the line of rail contact 22. This alternativeconstruction, while not as flexible as the spring clip constructionpreviously described, will permit the occurrence of limited undulatorymotions in the rails Without pulling the spikes or disturbing theposition of the tie plate 15.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be madein the embodiments illustrated and described herein without departingfrom the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

While the present invention has been described as applied to tie platesused in connection with wooden ties, it is by no means limited theretobut may be embodied in rail securing means associated with tiesconstructed of metal, concrete, or any other malll! :Maus

\terial. In the case of an all metal tie, the

1 of the base of the rail intermediate the ends thereof, the surfacey ofsaid rail seat being cambered longitudinally, and a fastening means forsecuring the rail to said tie plate disposed substantially in the samevertical plane with the highest portion of the camber of said rail seat,whereby the rail is permitteda slight rocking movement relative to thetie late and relative movement between the t1e plate and the tie,whereby said tie plate securing means would be loosened, is obviated.

2. In a railway track construction, in combination, a tie plate, a railseat on said tie plate of a configuration providing line contact betweenthe rail and said seat transversely thereof, resilient means forsecuring said rail to said tie plate adjacent said line of contact,whereby slight rocking movement of said rail relative to said tie plateis permitted, and means for securing said tie plate to the tie disposedat points spaced longitudinally of the tie plate from said line ofcontact.

-3. In a railway track construction, in combination, a tie plate, meansat spaced points on either side of the longitudinal center of said tieplate, for securing said tie plate to a tie, a rail seat on said tieplate of a configura tion providing line contact between the rail and'said seat transversely thereof and `resilient means for securing saidrail to said tie plate adj acentsaid line of contact, whereby slightrocking movement of said rail relative to said tie plate is permittedWhile longitudinal creeping of'said rail is prevented.

4. In a railway track construction, in combination, a tie plate, meansfor securing 4said tie plate to a tie, a rail seat on said tie plate ofa configuration providing line contact between the rail and said seat .ttransversely thereof, and resilient means for securing said rail to saidtie plate adjacent'said lineof contact, whereby slight rocking movementof said rail relative to said tie late is `permitted while longitudinalcreeplng of said rail is prevented. I

5. In a railway trackv construction, in combination, a cross tie. a railseat on said cross tie the surface of which is cambered in a directionlongitudinal of the rail, and a rail fastening'device for securing saidrail to said cross tie, at the highest point of said cambered rall seat.

.6. In a railway track construction, in comblnatlon, a tie plate, a railseat on said tic plate for receiving an intermediate portion of the baseof the rail, the surface of said seat being cambered in a directionlongitudinal of the rail, and a rail fastening device for securing saidrail to said tie plate at the highest portion of said cambered railseat.

7. Ina railway track construction, in combination, a tie plate, a railseat on said tie plate the surface of which is formed in two planeswhich are downwardly inclined from the longitudinal mid-portion of saidrail seat in yeach direction longitudinally of the rail, and a railfastening device comprising a spring lever for resiliently securing saidrail to said tie plate adjacent said longitudinal mid-portion of saidseat.

8. In a railway track construction, in combination, a tie plate, meansfor securing said tie plate to a tie, a rail seat formed upon said tieplate the surface thereof being formed in two longitudinally inclinedplanes which in tersect in a line which passes transversely of said railseat at its mid-point, thus providing line contact between the rail baseand said seat whereby limited rocking movement of said'rail ispermitted, and fastening means for securing the base flange of the railto the' tie plate at a point adjacent said transverse line ofintersection, said fastening means comprising a spring lever adapted tobear at its ends upon the rail base and the tie plate, and a boltadapted to pass through the intermediate portion of said spring leverand provided with a head adapted to interlock with a portion of said tieplate.

9. In'a railwa track construction, in combination, a tie ate, having arail seat thereon and a slot ormed therein, a spring lever having oneend adapted to bear on the rail base and means on said lever adapted toengage a portion of said tie plate, said slot being provided with anarrow straight walled pprtion, a portion provided with opposed velledwalls, and a wide straight walled portion, said portions being arrangedin the order `named from the rail base outwardly, a f-" bolt for iiexingsaid lever and connecting it to said tie plate, said bolt being providedwith a head adapted to be disposed in said slot and having bevelledsurfaces adapted to I contact with the bevelled walls of said slot.

10. In a railway track construction, in combination, a tie plate, a pairof ribs formed on said tie plate, disposed longitudinally thereof, anddeiining a rail seat therebetween, said tie plate being provided with af" slot on each side of Said railvseat, a pair of spring levers eachhaving one end adapted to bear on the rail base and means on each ofsaid levers adapted to engage a'portionof said tie plate, each of saidslots being pro-"i i" van vided with a narrow straight walled portion, aportion provided with opposed bevelled Walls, and a wide straight Walledportion, said portions being arranged inv the order named from the railbase outwardly, portions of said slots adapted to intersect said ribs,bolts for flexing said levers and connecting them to said tie plate,saidbolts being provided with heads adapted to be disposed in 'saidslots and having bevelled surfaces for contacting with the bevelledwalls ofsaid slots.

11. In a railway track construction, in combination, a tie plate havinga rail seat thereon and a slot passing through va portion thereof, saidslot comprising a relatively narrow vertical walled portion adjacent therail base, a wider vertical walled portion nearer the outer edge of saidtie plate and an intermediateportion the longitudinally opposed walls ofwhich converge upwardly, a spring lever one end of which is adapted tobear upon the top surface of a base flange of the rail and a portion ofthe other end of which is adapted to enter said wider portion of saidslot, a bolt passing through an intermediate portion of said lever andadapted to flex said lever and secure it to said tie plate, the head onsaid bolt adapted to interlock with said tie plate and having bevelledsurfaces thereon adapted to contact with said converging walls of saidslot, the narrow portion of said slot adjacent the edge of the rail baseproviding means for the reception of an alternative fastening means.

12. In a railway track construction, in combination, a tie plateprovided with a slot passing therethrough, said slot having a portionadapted to receive one type of rail fastening means and another portionadapted to receive a secon-d type of rail fastening means.

13. In a railway track construction, in combination, a tie plateprovided with a slot passing therethrough, means for securing the railto said tie plate comprising a spring clip and a bolt for securing saidclip in position to clamp the rail, said slot being provided with aportion adapted to receive one end of said clip, a portion adapted toreceive said bolt, and a portion adapted to receive an ordinarycut-spike as an alternative rail fas'- tening means.

14. In a railway track construction, in cornbination, a tie plate, a ribformed upon said tie plate to provide a rail base fiange abutment, saidtie plate being provided with a slot passing vertically therethrough,means for normally securing the rail to the tie plate comprising aspring clip and a bolt for flexing said clip and securing it to said tieplate in position to clamp the base flange of the rail, means forindependently securing said tie plate to the tie, said slot beingprovided with portions adapted to receive an end of said clip and thehead of said bolt and a portion passing through said rib and adapted toreceive an ordinary cut-spike vas an alternative rail and tie platesecuring means.

15. In a railway track construction, in combination, a tie plate, a pairof ribs formed on said tie plate, extending longitudinally of the railand defining between them a rail seat, the surface of said rail seatbeing formed in two longitudinally inclined planes which intersect in aline which passes transversely of said rail seat at its mid-point, thusproviding line contact between the rail base and said seat wherebylimited rocking movement of said rail 4is permitted, said tie platebeing provided with a pair of slots one on each side of said rail seatand disposed in transverse alignment with the line of Contact betweensaid rail and rail seat, a pair of angularly bent spring levers disposedone on each side of said rail seat with their inner ends clamping thetop surfaces of the base flanges of the rail above said line of contact,narrowed tongues and lateral shoulders formed at the other end of saidclips, means upon either side of said line of contact for independentlysecuring said tie plate to a tie, bolts for iexing said clips andsecuring them to said tie plate, said bolts having bevelled heads, saidslots being provided with relatively wide portions for receiving saidtongues and intially receiving the heads of said bolts, portions withupwardly converging walls providing means for interlocking with saidbolt heads, and relatively narrow portions adjacent the edges of saidrail base providing means for receiving ordinary cut-spikes foralternatively securing said 'rail and tie plate to said tie.

16. In a railway track construction, in combination, a tie platesubstantially rectangular in plan, means disposed adjacent the ends ofsaid plate for securing it to a tie, a pair vof ribs formed upon saidtie plate so as to extend longitudinally of the rail and define betweenthem a rail seat, the surface of said rail seat being camberedlongitudinally, and fastening means for securing the rail directly tosaid tie disposed substantailly in the same vertical plane with thehighest portion of the camber of said rail seat,)vl1ereby the rail ispermitted a slight rocking movement relative to the tie late andrelative movement between the tie plate and the tie, whereby said tieplate securing means would be loosened, is obviated.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aliix my signature.

JOHN A. MGGREW.

